Counseling
by Briteflame14
Summary: Following Flash and Laura into their married life, superheroes can also have a little trouble in paradise. (NOT COMPLETED/UNEDITED NOTE)
**A/N: Back with another post again! Unfortunately, this time it isn't a complete fic, but more of a test/note model-thing. Once again, it's another fic between Flash Thompson (Agent Venom) and Laura Kinney (X-23). I'm sorry if it's a little confusing because there are a LOT of places where I skip around, but hopefully I'll get around to cleaning it up and editing it. Thanks for reading!**

Counseling

i.i.i

"You didn't have to wait up."

Laura looked up from where her head was tilted towards the counter, surprise reflected in her jade eyes. She must have dozed off and missed the door opening.

"Gee, excuse me for making sure you got home in one piece." She yawned, stretching.

"When have you ever?" He dropped his bag and shrugged his jacket off, tossing it on the back of his chair.

"I always." She said, letting her head rest in her hand.

"Yeah? Is that why every time I come home late, you're passed out in bed?"

"It's called pretending." Laura rolled her eyes. "And then I go right to sleep when I'm sure you're inside. What set you in a pissy mood, anyhow?"

He huffed. "Walking through the door."

"Oh that's rich." She snapped, getting up. "I could have gone straight to bed and left you here to fend for yourself if something bad happened to you."

"Nothing would make me happier." Flash walked right past her, unlacing his boots and headed to the shower. "You don't have to wait up anymore, I'm safe."

"Bastard." She hissed under her breath.

"I heard that!"

"You were meant to!"

i.i.i

"Hurry the hell up, she's waiting for us!" Laura called, leaning against the wall by the door.

"Calm down, dammit." Flash put his shoes on, pushing his wallet into his pocket. "She's not gonna die if you're five minutes late."

Laura grabbed her bag, pulling the door open. "What were you doing, putting your makeup on?"

"You're funny." He muttered sarcastically, locking the door behind them. "Relax, it only took five minutes to get ready."

"Five minutes too long." Laura brushed her hand over her stomach lightly, getting into the passenger side of the car.

i.i.i

The couple continued to walk, following Clay up the pier. Jubilee dropped her wallet, swearing, though the event went unnoticed. She bent down, grabbing the item and watched as the others continued on without her. However, something funny caught her eye; Flash reached out gently to grab Laura's hand, his fingers brushing her palm, but she tugged her hand away, rubbing it against her jeans. Flash clenched his hand lightly, digging it into the pocket of his pants instead, though they carried on like nothing had happened. Was it something Flash had done to tick his wife off? It must have been big; last time she checked, Laura was in head-over-heels-love and nothing he did could have stopped that. Something had happened, Jubilee concluded. She knew her friend too well to ignore gestures like that.

"Who wants to go for the Ferris Wheel?" Jubilee asked cheerfully, catching up to them. "If you get stuck at the top, you can see the city lights."

Flash shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Whatever goes with you guys. I don't mind."

"Um, I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick." Laura said, her thumb pointing over her shoulder. "Stupid me forgot to go before we left."

Flash tilted his head. "I thought you did."

It was almost as if the others could feel the heat radiate from her form. "Well, I didn't." She said, trying to keep herself from clenching her teeth.

Jubilee and Clay exchanged a glance. "Well, I'll go with Laura, I kinda have to go too." Jubilee broke the tension quickly. "We'll meet you boys by the bar over there."

Quartermaine nodded, catching on easily. "Yeah, I could use a little drink."

The firework was already ushering Laura to the bathroom houses. "We won't be gone for too long!" And off the girls went.

Clay clasped his friend's shoulder, starting towards the bar. "Everything alright?"

Flash was silent for a moment, eyes cast to the floor. "Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Did you do something to piss her off?" Clay tilted his head. "You asked a simple question and her walls flew up immediately."

"She gets mad so easily, you wouldn't believe." Flash shook his head. "I could breathe the wrong way and she'd throw a fit."

"Did something happen?"

"I don't know!" Flash threw his hands up. "She won't tell me therefore I don't really care! If she can bottle it up for so long she doesn't need me."

"That's not right." Clay said almost instantly. "That's your wife, you better care about every atom within a ten-foot-radius of her. One hair could be out of place and you better care a shitload."

"She doesn't want me to." Flash let his head fall in his hand, sighing.

"That gives you all the more reason to!" Clay exclaimed. "C'mon, she'll see it a whole lot differently if you go out of your way for her. Treat her like you did in the beginning of your relationship and you won't have to end it."

"What about me, then? She doesn't care about me, she floats in and out when she finds it necessary."

"Laura cares." Clay assured. "She just won't show it unless you do."

i.i.i

"Everything alright?" Jubilee asked as Laura washed her hands.

"Yeah. Why?" The raven-haired girl didn't even look up.

"We're gonna ignore that hand thing earlier, right?"

Laura grabbed several napkins, drying her hands. "What hand thing?"

"Flash totally just reached to hold your hand and you pulled away. What, did he do something?"

She snorted. "More like what he didn't do. What, he doesn't let me hold his hand, why should I let him hold mine?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "You're playing a vengeance game?"

Laura huffed. "No. Just keeping my wits about me."

"That's not keeping your wits about you, that's distancing yourself from your husband." Jubilee put a hand on her hip. "What happened?"

Laura glared at her, but was well aware her friend had figured her out. "Nothing. He's just been hostile lately."

"Let me guess, so have you?" Jubilee shook her head. "Is he giving you the cold shoulder?"

"Yeah. And everything else, from turning his back to snapping at me." Laura looked down. "I don't even want to be around when he comes home sometimes."

Her friend shook her head. "But you can't just leave him in the dirt, you gotta find him and figure it out, not flow with it."

"Whatever. Let's go, before he gets all sensitive that we took too long." Laura started for the exit, but Jubilee blocked her way.

"Laura, I'm serious. You can't just leave this in the dust."

Laura narrowed her eyebrows. "What's with the sudden interest? It's a phase, we'll probably get over it."

The firework shook her head. "A phase? No, you should've passed that phase year two of your marriage. It's been five years now, something came up and you're not spilling."

"Is this an interrogation now?" Laura threw her hands up. "C'mon, Jubes, what else do I have to do to convince you? Not everyone lives in paradise forever, just let it go!" With a huff, she pushed past her friend and out of the bathroom.

"Ready?" Clay asked as the girls approached. "The Ferris Wheel lights are on."

Flash moved to stand next to Laura, tilting his head down slightly. "Do you really want to go up there?" He whispered in her ear.

She shook her head. "Not exactly."

"Got a plan to ditch?"

Laura looked at him. "You wanted to go."

"I lied."

"Tell me something I don't know."

He dug his hands in his pockets, sighing exasperatedly. "You're kidding, right?" He said loudly.

Laura turned, looking up at him with large surprised eyes. "What the hell?"

"I told you to check if the iron was on!" He snapped, rubbing the back of his head again.

"You're seriously going to blame me on this?" She snarled involuntarily and for once, Flash was grateful that her ferociousness was good enough to follow his lie.

"Who else am I gonna blame it on, the dog?" Flash growled.

"Why don't you blame yourself for a change?!"

"Because if you haven't noticed, neither the dog nor I have long hair that you curl!"

"I swear to God, Flash Thompson, I'm gonna punch you in your stupid face."

His reply was an exasperated groan and he grabbed his phone from his pocket, checking on the house. "The distance is too far, the phone's not picking the feed up."

Laura crossed her arms smugly. "Now who's fault is that?"

"Shut up." He rubbed his face. "I'm sorry guys, I've gotta go check to see if my house is still standing. Can I leave her with you?"

"I'm right here." Laura snapped. "I'm not your dog."

Jubilee sighed. "No, it's late anyways. We should just head home, if that's the case."

Flash nodded, pushing his phone back into his pocket again. "I'm really sorry about this guys, I am. Another time?"

"Sure. Another time."

"I'll see you at work." Clay breathed, waving as the couple rushed away. He waited until they actually got in the car to speak, though.

"It's not going so well, is it?" Clay asked softly.

Jubilee sighed. "Nope."

i.i.i

"Babe?" Flash called, shutting the door. "You up?" He stepped past the sleeping German Shepherd, shouldering his jacket off.

No answer came from either the kitchen or the main room. After checking both, Flash padded upstairs.

At last, he found her in the linen closet, grabbing a new towel.

"Hey," he breathed, stopping just next to her.

Laura stared at him for a moment before turning back to the closet.

Flash sighed. "Look, I know it's late and I know it's pathetic but...I was just thinking of you." Slowly, he produced three white daisies, the delicate petals absorbing the soft light from the bedroom.

Laura looked down at them briskly. "Really?" She asked, unamused. "That's what you're going with?"

Flash tilted his head. "What?"

"'I was just thinking of you'? C'mon, if that's the best you can come up with, at least have the decency to tell the truth."

Flash rubbed his eyes, sighing. "And what are you talking about now?"

"Sha-Shan? What, did you forget about her?"

Flash shrugged. "What about her? She doesn't mean anything to me."

"She called this evening for you, wanted to know what your next plan of action was." Laura glowered at him, her eyes darkening.

He stared at her. "So what? She's on a case with me."

"She's a physical therapist, Flash."

"She's a witness to a crime."

Laura held her index finger out, signaling for him to wait. She turned, disappearing into the bedroom. When she returned several moments later, she held a black high-heel shoe in one hand. "It's not mine." Laura breathed, presenting it to him. "My foot's too small and we all know I don't go for pointed-toes. I wonder who does."

"You can't be serious right now." He shook his head. "C'mon, I bring you flowers and you repay me with this shit?"

It definitely sparked her fuse. "Oh, so this shoe is shit then?" She snapped, holding it up higher. "This woman's shoe that isn't mine and isn't yours, so it mustn't be a big deal! This woman's shoe that I found lying under _my_ bed, in my _bedroom_ , must not be a big deal!"

He growled. "I don't know who's shoe that is, for all I know it could have been one of your friends, _you_ could have put it there to frame me!"

"To frame you? What, you think I like fighting you, you think this is fun for me?" Laura tore the flowers out of his hand, throwing them to the floor. "You've been sleeping with another girl, admit it!"

"Oh yeah, there's nothing I love more than sleeping around in my own house, I can get back at my wife for all the hell she puts me through!"

She hit him with the shoe, gripping it tightly around the middle. "You're such a bastard, you know that? I hate you!"

Flash raised his arms in an attempt to fend off her assault, though it didn't do much. She continued to attack him with both hands, each blow more forceful than the last. One punch left his ears ringing, another jab broke the skin on his arm.

Flash grabbed her wrist, pushing her back against the closet. "Stop!" He exclaimed loudly.

"You're such a liar!" Laura screamed, throwing the shoe at him. "You're a fucking liar, I hate you!"

The heel scratched the exposed crook of his neck as it soared past him. "What the hell is the matter with you, you're crazy!" He shouted, clasping a hand over the afflicted area.

"Tell that to Sha-Shan next time you fuck her in my room!" She bristled like a threatened cat, backing away now. "I married you, you cheater!"

"Don't act like you've kept yourself restrained, Laura!" Flash snapped. "You don't think I know what you and Julian are doing behind my back?"

"No, you don't, because I'm doing absolutely nothing with him! He tells the truth and he's far better than you!"

"Well if he's so good, why didn't you marry him?" He felt his heart pounding in his ears, his fingers tingling.

Laura pushed past him roughly, storming down the hall. "Trust me, I wish I had!"

i.i.i

"Let's start with the easy questions." The man sat back in his chair, adjusting his glasses. "My name is Thomas Baylon, but you may call me Tom." He gestured to Flash to continue the loop.

He sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Eugene Thompson...Flash for short."

Laura sighed lowly, crossing her arms. "Laura Kinney."

Flash started. "Oh, you're going by your surname now?"

"Damn right, I don't want to be related to you in the least." She snapped back.

"Flash, Laura." Tom raised both hands. "Please, not now. I assume you're married, correct?"

"Unfortunately." Laura grumbled, leaning back again.

A low growl started in the back of Flash's throat though it didn't turn to much.

"I'm reading over the worksheets I gave earlier- the ones where you stated your problems with your spouses- and I noticed one paper says, 'F-ed his ex' and the other says, 'slept with boy(friend).'" Tom rubbed his eyes, looking to the two.

Laura started. "I didn't say 'F-ed', I said 'Fu-'"

"I know what you wrote." Tom held his hands up. "I didn't feel the need to encourage the negative atmosphere." He sighed, leaning forward. "And I just...I don't understand. You've both done some...unfaithful things, correct?"

The two exchanged a glare before shifting in their seats uncomfortably. "Yeah." They grumbled at the same time.

"Now, I believe the best way to get rid of the rust at the moment is to come straight out with it; you're both going to say the truth and the truth only. Flash, you first."

Laura looked at him smugly.

He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze aimed at the ground. "I uh...I...I slept with my ex-wife while you were out." He said lowly.

"I know." Laura said briskly. "Next time you want to hide her shoes, don't put it under the bed."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a thing for making ex-wives or...?"

Flash snorted. "No. The first time I slept with her, it was a complete accident and...well, the other times were out of desperation and bitterness."

"Good. Laura, now it's your turn. Just get it all off of your chest."

Laura stared at him, her arms crossed still. "I didn't have any missions last month. I went upstate to meet Julian."

"And your mad at me, why?" Flash asked, tilting his head.

"Because I didn't sleep with him." She hissed, getting ready to start a fight again.

"Anything else?" Tom asked quickly.

She paused. "...I might've broken one of Sha-Shan's bank accounts."

i.i.i

"Your homework: spend the evening with one another outside of the home. It could be in the backyard, in a park, I don't care, just not inside your house."

i.i.i

He dropped a basket in front of her, a leash in his other hand.

Laura didn't even look up. "What the hell is this?"

"We're going on a picnic." Flash answered shortly. "Get up."

She snorted. "You're actually listening to him?"

"Listen, I know you may not be in the least bit interested in fixing this marriage, but I don't think I can do another divorce. So get up and get in the car."

At last, she looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "And the dog's coming too?"

i.i.i

"This is the breaking point." Tom stated, standing in the doorway. "You stay in here until the goal is reached."

"And that goal is...?" Flash asked.

"Every other word out of your mouths is no longer a curse or a rude remark, which means major process was achieved. Now we can all agree that you both have something that's being used for the base of such hate. Until those foundations are revealed, the door doesn't open."

Laura narrowed her eyes. "What if I gotta pee? Or eat?"

"The door doesn't open until the foundations are revealed." Tom closed the door, locking it. "Have fun."

For the first time, Laura noticed how close the walls were, the dark color making the room feel even smaller. She felt like she was in a refrigerator and it was only getting smaller now that she was crammed in here with Flash.

i.i.i

"I met a kid." Flash breathed, leaning his head back on the wall. "He was cute: probably no older than six or seven. He had short blonde hair and he carried a Lego fire truck he made earlier. God, he reminded me of me."

Laura smiled softly at the thought.

"He was with his old man, I assume, they were walking. And the man wasn't very nice. He kept telling the kid to stop hopping, or stop skipping, or stop talking so much. But he was just a little boy, y'know, all of the energy's gotta come out somehow. But that kid was just...just so full of life."

"Did you talk to him?" Laura asked quietly, focusing on her hands rather than the fact the room was little.

Flash snorted. "How could I not? He was practically dying to show me how quick his fire truck could go. But it lasted only for a minute before his dad dragged him away. And unfortunately, they didn't get very far." He paused, slowing his breathing. "Remember that day I put Whirlwind down?"

Laura nodded. "That was two months ago."

"Right. He was using bullets that day. A lot of people got hit but there were only two casualties. The first one was a girl sitting at the café across the street...and well, the second one should have been the boy's dad. He should feel lucky he had a heroic son, because that six-year-old took a heart-full of lead for him."

Laura snapped her head up in surprise, her eyes wide. She hadn't expected the story to end like that.

"I told you I was in D.C. securing Whirlwind in the sister-base, and I was, but that only took a day and a half to send him off."

"You went to the funeral." Laura concluded easily, dipping her head.

He nodded. "I had to see him go. Turns out he was visiting his dad here in New York, he was from Massachusetts. He wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up, like his older brother who died in a fire a few years ago." Flash let his face fall in his hands, stemming the tears before they even came.

"I'm sorry." She said lowly, her own eyes filled with sadness. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"With your brick wall of an attitude? No way, I couldn't bear to tell you, you would've probably shrugged it off as a casualty of war. Child death wasn't exactly a soft spot for you, y'know."

Laura cringed slightly. Next, the surprise flew in; she wasn't offended by his words, not in the least. She felt like a dragon whose power to breathe fire was suddenly switched off. And instead of anger, she could feel the grief and sadness begin to settle in.

"You're probably right." Laura sighed. "Very right."

Flash looked up at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Really." Laura stretched a foot out in front of her, letting it touch the other wall. The closeness of the room wasn't helping her and she fought to keep from freaking out. "Under any other circumstances, other than the current one, I wished you would've told me."

"Why's that?"

She let her head lean back against the wall, staring up at the low ceiling. "So you wouldn't have to carry the burden by yourself. That's one thing I regret making you do."

At last, he smiled softly. It was brighter than the lighting in the room, brighter than the sun rising in the east. It was a beautiful sight she hadn't seen in months, a true, genuine light from the mouth of the man she married. That was enough to anchor her down to some minimal point.

Laura groaned, rubbing her hands over her face. Almost instantly, she wished she hadn't, because the smile fell away from his face and was replaced by a frown.

"Hey, Tom, could you let us out now?" Flash called loudly, jiggling the doorknob again.

"No!" The councilor called back without hesitation. "Unless you've made nice, the door stays closed!"

"Alright, we made up!" Flash answered. "She's feeling a little more than claustrophobic!"

"No you haven't!" Tom called again. "I only hear Flash the most, the assignment was to get to the bottom of _both_ of you!"

Laura hissed at the speaker in the room. "What if I fucked him, right here in this room?" She snapped. "It's your fault for locking us in such a small space!"

"That would be more than making nice, isn't it?" Tom said smugly. "It's making love." He paused. "Might I remind you, Mrs. Thompson, that you're not animals nor teenagers. I'm sure you can handle a little pressure."

"I hate you." She sighed, sitting up.

Flash shifted, crossing his ankles. "Can I ask you something?"

She snorted. "That's all we can do."

"Why Julian? Was it to get back at me or was it...the same reason I did it?"

Laura shifted her eyes to the ground. "Honestly? Both." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "At first it was to get close to him to make you question it but you were just so...wrapped up with _her_ , it didn't work. And then it happened by accident. I went in with no intention of success."

They were absolutely silent for several minutes, both contemplating the issue.

"Do you love her?" Laura asked quietly, tilting her head down.

Flash shook his head slowly, leaving enough time to think but answered quick enough to keep her hopes up. "No." He said. "I don't. She was a late night call when things went south and I really wish I hadn't."

"I'm sorry." She said at last, hugging one of her knees. "For causing this problem."

"You alone didn't cause it, Laura." Flash breathed, looking at her through half lidded eyes. "We're two equal forces barreling into one another, each convinced that the other will break first."

She shook her head, pulling her other leg up to her chest as well. "No, it's my fault." She insisted, and for the first time in months, he heard the cracking of her voice just before she started to cry. "It's really my fault."

Flash tilted his head, knowing well she was aiming at something else. "Why would you say that?"

Laura paused, reaching up to wipe the stray tears from her face roughly. "I'm...I'm incapable." She breathed, her throat burning. "I've tried for a while, but I can't give you what you want."

Flash shook his head, still not understanding.

Laura paused for a moment, giving herself time to breathe. "I was pregnant." She said pathetically, biting her lip. "A long time ago. And I lost it."

Flash stared at her with large eyes, struck by the news. "...what? Was it...was it his?"

"Julian's? No, not at all." Laura sighed heavily. "It was yours. They were all yours."

Flash looked even more horrified. "All?"

She paused again, keeping herself from cracking again. "I've had eleven miscarriages and last week was number twelve."

" _Twelve?"_ Flash's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, twelve. And when I found out you got with Sha-Shan, I thought you figured it out; I thought you wanted a girl who could give you kids. It's all my fault because I placed the blame on you for my failure." Laura gasped in an attempt to get some type of oxygen into her lungs. "Turns out I was infertile the minute they made me in that test tube."

Flash stared at her, all of the pieces suddenly falling together. He was distant from her because of her temper and angry because of her ability to see her way through only. But now he was distant because her one-track mind wouldn't listen to his heart breaking over the Whirlwind incident and his anger blinded him to her underlying pain to the loss of children. How badly had they messed up to tangle them so deeply in a web of secrets and lies?

"I'm sorry." He whispered at last, his throat tightening.

"Why? It's your loss too."

"But...I didn't know. And we're so bent out of shape, so out of touch with each other that we're nothing but strangers living in the same house."

"My fault." She breathed. "The more I lost the angrier I got...and I directed it at you because I was sure you were the problem...I was sure if it were anyone else it would've worked...and it was really me all along." At last her tears wrestled free and they poured down her face. "I'm so sorry, Flash." She choked out.

In the next split second, he was on her, pulling her from her corner and into his lap. Strong arms wrapped around her petite form and simply held her, keeping her close to his warm body. And even then, he found his own pent up anger spilling out in the same form, droplets of tears beginning to fall in her hair. If he had learned anything, it was never to speak full on in moments like these; it was better to sit there and hold her to show full support.

And as they cried, their ears picked up the unmistakable sound of the lock in the door as it flipped open.


End file.
